Taking a healthy message from place to place

The ‘Pictorial Journey of Surgery’ depicting numerous photographs taken by well-known Senior Consultant Surgeon Dr. Gamini Goonetilleke has now evolved into a travelling exhibition with the aim of imparting health education.

This Exhibition of Medical Photographs, titled ‘Sathkame Rupamaya Charikawa’ in Sinhala will be held at the Vygayanthi Hall of the Thopawewa Maha Vidyalaya from May 14 to 16. Coincidentally, Polonnaruwa was the first station to which Dr. Goonetilleke was posted as a young surgeon soon after his return after qualifying in the United Kingdom.

“A photograph is worth a thousand words. However, photographs have not been used in Sri Lanka for health education purposes. In the recent past the government decided to have a photograph of a patient with cancer of the mouth to show the illeffects of smoking and thus discourage smoking. Similarly we can use other photographs as well to give a strong message on various aspects of disease and disease prevention,” is Dr. Goonetilleke’s simple logic.

The aim of the exhibition is to educate the public on various health problems including diseases, cancer and alcohol abuse and the need to seek medical advice when there are symptoms of early disease and on prevention of accidents. It also hopes to encourage and motivate schoolchildren to take to medicine as a career.

With 33 years experience, Dr. Goonetilleke has served in Polonnaruwa for 6½ years having been posted there in 1982; at the Gampaha Hospital for 5½ years and Sri Jayewardenepura General Hospital, Nugegoda for 21 years. He has also volunteered his services at various hospitals including the Palai Hospital in Jaffna to treat armed forces personnel injured dur- ing the conflict.

During his illustrious career, he has collected a large number of photographs of various surgical issues including hernia, goitre, breast cancer, bowel cancer, gall stones, stones in the kidney, injuries caused by the ingestion of corrosives, agricultural accidents, road accident injuries, war injuries, trap-gun injuries, injuries caused by wild animals such as elephant and bear and also rare conditions such as Rapunzel Syndrome (eating hair). The exhibition will also feature videos on operations.

While the exhibition will be open to the public with an entrance fee of Rs. 100, students from the North Central Province will have free admission.